Freezing weather doesn’t stop the need for portable toilets, but it does mean that they are at risk of freezing. This is why it is important to take steps to winterize your portable toilets to ensure that they are still usable all year round.
Five Methods To Prevent Freezing
There are five common techniques you can use to prevent portable toilets from becoming frozen. These different methods come with a lot of different pros and cons, as well as resistance to freezing. Consider this when choosing which method you use.
Rock Salt
Rock salt is definitely the most affordable solution to prevent freezing during the winter months. However, this is only a good choice if the winter months in your region do not regularly bring the temperature down below 0°F.
Rock salt can be applied in varying amounts, and the more you add, the greater the protection it will add up to the rock salt’s eutectic point, which is at about 2 lbs. of salt for every gallon of water. At this point, the toilet will not freeze unless the temperature drops below 0°F.
Magnesium Chloride
MGCI2 de-icing solution is one of the most common options to prevent portable toilet freezing. This additive can be added as a crystal or a 30% liquid. Though this method is far more costly than rock salt, it is far more effective.
Mixing 2 ¼ lbs. of MGCI2 crystals for every gallon of water will offer protection down to -26°F. This is pretty certain to protect your portable toilet anywhere in the US.
Methanol
Some users appreciate the simplicity that simply pouring in methanol provides over the mixing necessary with the previous crystalline methods. With Methanol, you can add methanol to a maximum of 33% of the toilet’s water in order to provide protection as far as -9°F.
It is important not to exceed this amount, however, because methanol is a highly flammable substance that can cause the entire mixture to become flammable. Even within this amount, long-term exposure is inadvisable because fume exposure can be harmful to health.
Methanol and Rock Salt
If protection down to -9°F is not enough, then you can add rock salt in addition to methanol to acquire greater protection. By adding 2 lbs. of rock salt and 40 ounces of methanol for every gallon of water, you can acquire protection down to a low of -40°F.
Switch Out
When the portable toilet is placed in an area too cold for normal anti-freezing methods or they are just too inconvenient, there is another solution. Remove the frozen toilet and switch it out with a fresh one.
It is also often possible to simply remove the water tank to make it cheaper and easier to clean.
Final Thoughts
As we have addressed, the call of nature doesn’t stop when the temperature drops. So, it is important to prevent the freezing of portable toilets, and any of these five methods will do the trick in many cases. Just consider the temperature of your region and the money you are willing to spend, and any of these methods will work in some cases.
Contact Us
For the best in portable toilet rentals, it’s impossible to beat Flush Services. With ten years of experience helping customers to get the portable toilet rentals they need, we are sure we can help you find the best option for your event or worksite. Call us at (978) 778-8000 and connect with us on Facebook.
